Health Minister Howard Quayle has told the House of Keys this week that he would support the use of cannabis to treat illness, provided it was properly supervised.

Replying to a House of Keys question, Mr Quayle said his department would consider supporting the use of any medication, irrespective of its origin, that is proved to work, adding: 'I should add, and make it clear to Honourable Members that nothing which I have said just now changes the fact that the possession and supply of cannabis is a crime. However I am clear that where there are clinically proven treatments that include cannabis or its derivatives as part of a medically effective treatment pathway this should be supported through proper supervised and prescribed routes.'

He said a number of medications derived from cannabis are undergoing clinical trials and some already had product licenses as prescription-only medicines for specific conditions.

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